AKRON: The Zips made a surprising move hiring Terry Bowden as head coach this offseason, who brought along Chuck Amato to take over a defense that allowed 119 points in the final two games of its 1-11 season. Akron has some talented players returning this season including QB Clayton Moore (1,655 pass yds, 9 TD, 9 INT). Once Moore improves his accuracy, the offense will move the ball a lot more efficiently. Also returning is RB Jawson Chisholm (961 rush yds, 5 TD) and WR Keith Sconiers (639 rec yds, 5 TD). On the defensive side of the ball, the Zips weren't as bad as they were offensively last year. Amato is a great defensive mind and will get back LB Troy Gilmer (71 tackles). Gilmer will need another big season if the Zips are to claim their first conference win in two years.

OHIO U: Ohio has completely turned around its program thanks to head coach Frank Solich. This season should be even better than last for the Bobcats as their star QB Tyler Tettleton (3,306 pass yds, 28 TD) has matured. Tettleton is also a phenomenal athlete as he rushed for 658 yards and 10 TD as well. Tettleton lost his top three targets from a year ago, which is something that could end up derailing the Bobcats. Ohio has a very good run defense, but it will need its talented linebackers to be more aggressive because this team struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They have a very strong secondary with the return of FS Gerald Moore and CB Travis Carrie, and Solich thinks that this defense has the potential to be his best one yet.